


Our Home Burnt Down But At Least We Are In This Together

by nuznate



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Guardians of the Galaxy - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Gen, mentioned Yondu/Kraglin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 06:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11308062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuznate/pseuds/nuznate
Summary: Kraglin wants to leave. Peter won’t let him.





	Our Home Burnt Down But At Least We Are In This Together

Kraglin has never been soft on Peter. Despite what people might think that he and Yondu both care for the boy, he swears it was Yondu. Only Yondu. The boy has proved himself enough times to be too much of the pain in the ass ever since day one for Kraglin to find him adorable, unlike the certain blue Centaurian.

Most of Ego’s kids they took from their home planet fought back on instinct, some too afraid to do anything but cried their eyes out. But there was no other like Quill, who managed to look terrified and pissed off at the same time. He cried and kicked and bit and wouldn’t stop until he ran out of energy. And his energy on the first day was like he’d been charged with Anulax Battery. Eventhough he was among the smallest kids they ever took, Quill managed to put one Ravager’s ass on the ground and took them two hours just to put the translator implant on him.

At first Peter was just a cargo, something they were paid to deliver, so Kraglin never got it why the Terran brat was so big a deal to the cap’n. When the delivery date never came because Yondu found out what Ego did to those kids and was upset about it, instead of returning the boy to his home or selling him to someone else or putting him on the menu Yondu just announced that he would keep the brat despite the crew’s objection, including his. Since that day Kraglin knew they were screwed.

(Because later Starkar eventually found out that the Eclector had a child on board and lead to the investigation of what Yondu did with the child that lead to Yondu’s exile years later which lead to Taserface’s munity and execution of half the crew then lead to most of the Eclector being destroyed along with all the remaining crew. So yeah they were completely screwed.)

Yondu was the only one who got soft, though he wouldn’t admit it until the last minute of his life. The other Ravagers just took care of Quill because it was Yondu’s order, and his orders usually had a promise of a certain arrow if not strictly followed.

Kraglin may be the one who took extra care of him more than anyone else at the time. That was only because he knew Yondu would go mad if anything happened to the boy and definitely not because he’d gone soft.

 _Must not go soft on Quill_ is what he’s been telling himself. Because, as the first mate, he needs to be the rational voice for his captain when the captain needs it the most. So he better not let any sentiment get over him for the sake of Yondu.

For decades he’s helped raise Quill and kept him alive from his own stupidness more times than he can count. And look at that ungrateful little shit who has to be what most sons be to their daddies, the pain in their asses.

Kraglin has never been soft on Peter, not then and still not now. Especially not after Yondu has died because who the cap’n had to sacrifice himself for if not that bastard. He used to tell Yondu many times that Quill would be the death of him. Well, he didn’t mean it literally.

It might sounds like he blames Peter for Yondu’s death. Technically, it was not entirely Quill’s fault since it was all Yondu’s choice to make. But he just can’t help himself.

Now he has no way to go except for this ship which is the only remaining quadrant of the Eclector, which now also be home of Quill and friends. He also has no friends, no job and no captain to serve. He will definitely not join the Guardians because after all he is still and will only be a Ravager and saving the galaxy definitely not in his resume. If Peter’s gonna stay in this ship and make Kraglin call him captain he sure as hell isn’t ready.

So practically he just walks around taking care of the ship with Rocket, who is the only one he feels comfortable with just enough to talk to, and tries to avoid having a conversation with Quill without making it obvious that he is avoiding him.

He tries to practice controlling the yaka arrow because he thinks it’ll be an honour to Yondu somehow, eventhough it’s hard to whistle without thinking of Yondu’s death. Then after the incident with Drax he realizes it is a stupid idea and just gives up. He keeps the arrow and the prototype fin in a box under his bunk because it’s hurt just to look at them.

He also tries to adjust his life without Yondu, tries to wake up and not check up on the data pad first thing in the morning to update the ship status only to realize there’s no blue cap’n waiting for his report, tries not to look for the certain blue face whenever he gets on the bridge to place himself at his right side and tries not to show how uncomfortable he is when Quill orders him around like he is the captain of this ship.

He’s doing well about avoiding Quill so far. They’ve barely talked since the funeral. So when late at one night cycle when everyone should be sleeping, he sits drinking alone in one corner by the window overlooking the deep space and thousand yellow stars, Quill’s voice startles him.

“Is it true that you’ll leave?”

Aw hell, he’s been thinking about leaving the group for a couple of days now but he never plans to tell Peter anytime soon. He might slipped about this with the Rat when they drank together last night, didn’t he? Dammit.

He puts the glass down and turns to face him. Peter’s standing against the wall of the entry way and this section area is dimmed so he cannot see his face.

“I may or may not leave. Haven’t decided yet.”

“You asked Rocket when will we have the next planetside job and ask him to build something like an invisible cloak for helping you sneak out without me noticing.”

“What!?” He must be way too drunk than he remember last night because that sounds so stupid even for his standard. “I don’t need no invisible flarking cloak or nothing to sneak out, goddammit.”

“So you really gonna leave.” Peter’s voice sounds hurtful.

“I said I haven’t decided yet,” he repeats himself. “It’s late you should go to sleep.” He waves his hand indicate that he doesn’t want his company right now.

But the kid is nothing if not stubborn.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Kraglin should’ve known that hiding anything from Quill is almost impossible from the life time experiences he’s lived with him. The memory of the first time Quill found out about him and Yondu still traumatizes him. He sighs and gets up from where he’s sitting by the window.

“I’m not avoiding you. And if ya won’t go to sleep it’s okay, I’m not your dad, but I will.” As he walks past him on the way out, Peter steps up and grabs his hand and Kraglin just does what his instinct tells him to do. He slams Quill face first against the wall with too much force than he intends to.

“Fuck! Krag, that’s hurt!”

“You shouldn’t did that,” he says but immediately lets go of him. “What the hell, Quill, you never get hurt so easily.”

“Just lost the stupid immortal thing I never knew I had from Ego.” Peter seems frustrated. “If I knew before that being human is this weak I’d have accepted Ego’s offer.”

The silent falls between them. Kraglin tries not to let the anger show though. So he just turns to walk away.

“Wait Kraglin! You know it’s just a joke right?”

“Of course it is,” that’s all he can say. He knows it’s a joke but such a shitty one. The last thing he wants right now is someone joking about Quill’s heritage or anything around that event, especially that someone is Quill himself. He doesn’t want to fucking break down in front of the brat. But Peter just doesn’t let him go so easily.

“Please don’t leave me,” Quill says and that’s it. Because how _dares_ he.

“What did you say?” He hisses. “ _You_ are the one who left, Pete. Don’t ya tell me to stay because _you_ are the one who never want to stay.”

He wants to say so much more, something like _you are the one who made Yondu miserable because you are the one who betrayed him and you are the one who left him and now you are the one who made him die and…_

“I already lost Yondu. I can’t lose you too.”

Peter’s looking directly at him and they’re close enough for him to notice tears running down his face. Fuck.

“Why now? You always don’t want us around.”

“Because now I realize that you are my family, Kraglin.”

Never gone soft to Quill. He’s been telling himself that for twenty-fucking-four years. And here he is. Feeling like he’s been sitting in Yondu’s heart, which he sometime wish he could.

The fact that Kraglin grew up without his parents and never had a family until Yondu took him in and let him be a Ravager. And the fact that the only family he’s ever had now all gone.

Left only this stupid brat, who’s now standing in front of him begging him to stay with the same stupid face he once used when Kraglin almost died, it was a pure miracle that he survived, lying on a bunk in med bay of the Eclector over ten years ago.

He almost hears Yondu mutter _‘fucking sentiment’_ to him and he almost wants to laugh.

There’s no old captain for him to protect anymore. No blue Centaurian wannabe-lowkey-daddy-don’t-you-fucking-tell-no-one-Kraglin for him to pretend for. There’s only this big pink Terran left as a family.

But it’s _his_ family.

Finally, Kraglin sighs and turns to go sitting at his spot by the window. Yellow stars still out there blinking at him and suddenly he doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

“If you still don’t wanna sleep, Pete, you can join me.” He pats the floor next to him and the next second the brat’s head already in his lap. Damn, the boy just never grows up.

“I think I’m a little bit sleepy already.” He yawns and stretches his arms and Kraglin can’t help but thinks about the first time Peter slept like this, head in his lap and just finished crying.

“Damn, your head ain’t as small as it used to be. If I can’t walk tomorrow it’s all on you.”

Quill is already asleep. But Kraglin still has half a bottle of Xandarian beer to finish.

He watches the rise and fall of his chest as he sleeps. Can’t help but thinks that Peter really turned out fine.

“Yeah I think I'll stay,” says Kraglin when he finishes his last sip.

.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Any comments are appreciated.


End file.
